Two Tormented Souls
by lfangirl111
Summary: Fluff. Pure fluff. Involving Remus Lupin. For a friend. Who loves Remus Lupin. And who apparently wants to be a werewolf. Enjoy! Set in the Marauder Era. Remus/OC
1. Prolouge

6th year girls' dorm

The moon was almost at its fullest as Karina Pepper sat in her dorm, listening to the girls' steady breathing and snores, watching the sky. Her wide brown eyes examined the silver orb with repulsion etched in her very countenance. Only a few more days. A few more days of sickly peace before she'd be forced through one of the most painful transformations of a million centuries. For eleven years, Karina had been forced to endure these transformations each full moon, and yet, turning into a werewolf was never any less painful. To Karina, nothing would be more painful than the werewolf transformations.

Someone – probably her best friend, Kylee Rowwen- snored loudly in her sleep before turning over noisily, her snores continuous though they were stifled from the pillow now. Rubbing her tires eyes, Karina glanced at the alarm clock sitting on her bed side table. Three in the morning flashed back. As silent as possible, she slipped to the far side of the room where her bed rested in the darkest corner, blocked thoroughly from the window and the moon. Without bothering to close the curtains to her bed, she slipped under her covers, staring up at the ceiling. She dreaded the next morning. Someone would more than likely point out how sick she looked and ask what was wrong, and she'd be forced to lie. She hated lying…

Again, Kylee snorted and Karina sighed. She really needed to sleep. School started far too early…

7th year boys' dorm

Pain ripped through Remus Lupin's chest as he awoke in a cold sweat. Sitting up rigidly straight, he listened to the room around him. In one corner, Peter snored restlessly, his dreams obviously vivid from how much thrashing he was doing. James' bed was at the other end of the room, snoring slightly. He snorted suddenly, flipping over a couple times and then murmuring happily, "I know you've always loved me, Lily flower," before he continued on with his snoring. Sirius was asleep in the opposite corner of James, breathing evenly and deeply. A graceful sleeper. Fangirls would be proud.

Finally, Remus was able to breath again. They were all there, alive and well. His dream that had woken him just moments before had been a reoccurring nightmare since his fifth year when James, Sirius, and Peter had all become Animagi so they could be with him when Remus underwent his painful werewolf transformations during the full moon. That dream always haunted him as the full moon approached and his body weakened, a constant reminder of what could go wrong during their "midnight strolls" as the dream always ended with James and Peter dead while Sirius was bitten, doomed to be a werewolf the rest of his life, all because of Remus.

Silently, Remus twitched open one side of his curtains, giving him a full view of the window and the almost full moon. Only a few more days. A few more days of his friends' excited planning and then he'd be forced once again to go through the intense pain of the werewolf transformations. He doubted even the Crusciatus Curse could compare.

Again, James snorted, flipping over and muttering something about, "But Lily, I'm not as gorgeous as _you_." Snorting, Remus shook his head and lay back down, not even bothering to close his curtains. He'd be up for hours anyway. What was the point of closing them?


	2. Thanks Karina Now My Head Hurts!

The Great Hall

"Oh no…"

Groggily, Kylee lifted her head off her arms, her drooping eyes focusing on Karina who sat across the table from her. "What's wrong?"

"I left my charms book up in our dorm!" Karina groaned, mentally slapping her forehead at her stupidity as she raised her head out of her bag.

"It's not like you haven't memorized it already," Kylee mumbled as she rested her head back in her arms. She was right. Karina had done more than memorize the entire charms book, but still… it was always good to have it.

"But with my luck, Flitwick will assign reading to do, and I'll be forced to share with that smelly Slytherin boy I hate," she wailed, trying to make her friends see her side of things. Instead, Kyle just glared at her.

"You're a witch, Karina! Reach into your bag, pick up your wand, and summon the stupid book," he explained, acting like she was a dense five-year-old. "Sometimes I wonder why you're in Ravenclaw…"

"Oh… shut up, Kyle," Karina said, reaching for her wand. She was unable to cast the spell, however, as Kat suddenly appeared at her shoulder, a wide smile on her face.

"Sirius Black!" she squeaked, pointing to the Great Hall doors where the incredibly gorgeous young man stood, his eyes examining every inch of the Ravenclaw table. Instantly, Kylee's head shot up, her tired attitude forgotten as she watched Sirius as well.

"He's so hott," she sighed, a dreamy smile on her face; and, if it weren't for the fact that Karina had her heart set on Remus Lupin, the more reserved of the four marauders, she would have agreed. Today, Sirius was just wearing his uniform, his black robes discarded somewhere along with his school bag. His hair was, of course, swooped perfectly to the side, a piece of hair falling into his eyes every once in a while. His heart winning smile was in place, though it seemed to disappear for a few minutes as he looked for the person he'd wanted to talk to apparently.

"Especially today," Kat agreed to Kylee's statement.

"You're drooling," Kyle said to Kylee, making her blush bright red and duck her head.

"Am not!"

"I wonder what he's doing by himself, though," Karina interrupted, realizing then that Remus wasn't there.

"He's probably here to ask a girl on a date," Kyle said like it didn't mean one way or another. "Hogsmeade weekend's coming up." Karina's heart sank. Hogsmeade weekend was during the full moon. She couldn't go… Ah well. No one would ever think to ask her on a date…

"Oh my Goodness-Gosh-Gracious! He's coming this way!" Kylee suddenly cried, spinning back around and fiddling with the ponytail she had her hair in. Looking up, Karina's eyes locked on Sirius Black's face. He was striding towards them confidently, his eyes on the back of Kylee's head. Karina grinned. She knew what was coming!

With a grace only Sirius Black could manage, he slid into the seat beside the blushing Kylee, smiling briefly at Kat and Karina before looking back at her. She always blushed when she was flustered or nervous or embarrassed or thrilled or… Kylee always blushed. "Hey, Kylee," he said, unconsciously throwing a bit of hair from his eyes.

"Sirius," she muttered, gaze at her hands as they twisted in her lap. She was suddenly very aware of her appearance. As she was not one to enjoy mornings, she had taken the opportunity of no class after breakfast to sleep in late and get ready later. So at this moment, she was in her pjs, a pair of baggy flannel pants, and a snug black tee with no make-up on and her hair only messily thrown up in a sloppy bun. For a moment, there was awkward silence as Sirius attempted to speak but failed miserably, and Kylee waited for him to get to the point, her smile fading as she realized that he might have just been coming over to talk to her about her older brother, Russell.

"Get on with it then," Kyle grumbled, his patience tried. He _never_ had any patience in the mornings. Like Kylee, he was not a morning person, making him cranky and unpleasant to be around.

"Butt out, Ryker," Sirius snapped, throwing Kyle a quick glare before looking nervously once again at Kylee. "Alright… I guess… well… uh… Hogsmeade weekend is this weekend," he said meekly, again shaking the piece of hair out of his eyes.

"And…?" Kylee prodded, waving her hands before her.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go with me… like a date… you know…" Sirius stopped, blushing under mine and Kat's scrutiny. He really was nervous. That was a surprise.

"Of course, I would!" Kylee cried, her grin instantly returning and a blush glowing on her cheeks. Sirius' grin widened as well, his smooth manner instantly back.

"Great! I'll meet you in the Gryffindor common room around eight-thirty. That alright?" Shyly, she nodded, and Sirius stood, sauntering off happily to Gryffindor table. For a moment, she watched him go, her eyes dreamy. And then, quiet suddenly, she turned around and threw her arms around Kyle's neck, the closest person to her.

"Ahh! Geroff me!" he cried, struggling to get away as she practically choked him.

"I'm going to Hogsmeade with Sirius Black!" Kylee practically screamed for the world, receiving a few odd looks from the people surrounding them. But she wasn't paying any attention. "Sirius Black! The one and only Sirius Black. The one I've had a crush on for the past six years. The one- Oh, wait!" she stopped, looking straight at Kat with suddenly very sad eyes.

"What's wrong?" Kat asked, bewildered.

"I can't go out with him! You are in love with him," Kylee said, her eyes deadly serious. Kyle suppressed a laugh, the motion only noticed by Karina.

"You're in love with him, too. If you don't go with him, I'll jinx you. Trust me, Ky." Satisfied, Kylee looked at Kyle, her eyes shining with excitement. Seeing the look, he put his arms up, shielding himself with them.

"Kylee Rowwen! Don't you dare!" he warned, but she ignored it. Instead, she pushed his arms away and threw her arms around his waist this time, squeezing the life out of him.

"I'm so happy! Oh so happy!"

Shaking her head, Karina began sliding away from the conversation, her thoughts back on the book she needed to summon. Raising her wand, she muttered, "_Accio charms book_," and then focused her attention on the Great Hall doors, waiting for the book.

Suddenly, the doors burst open to reveal a very angry Lily Evans, followed close behind by James Potter. He must have asked her out once again. Some boys were so stupid sometimes. Even when they were Head Boy!

Peter soon followed, his attention drawn to a sheet of parchment. He looked much thinner than he had at the beginning of the school year, something Karina had noticed along with, it seemed, the rest of the marauders as she often heard them speaking of it when Peter wasn't around. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he laughed out loud, before looking around for James and Sirius.

Finally, Remus walked in, his attention drawn to a piece of parchment as well, his appearance much sicker than before. Karina had always noticed the way he grew sicker and sicker along with herself and then, after the full moon, looked much better. Though she had her suspicions, she didn't say anything. She was never around to know if he left during the full moon, or if he was just naturally sick.

Yet, even with the ill nature about him, Remus was _extremely_ hot. Light brown hair was cut just right so it covered his ears but stopped at his collar. Light brown, almost gold eyes were rimmed with long eyelashes. His personality was somewhat reserved and much quieter than James and Sirius, but still as goofy as a marauder should be. Shadows under his eyes and the few gray streaks in his soft-looking hair was intriguing to many girls at Hogwarts.

Funnily enough, Karina looked exactly the same. Shadows underneath her brown eyes. A streak of gray hair weaved through the bangs that hung in her face, hiding herself from the people around her. She usually had the same look of sickness and mysterious-ness as Remus. So why was Remus so popular and out of her reach?

With a jerk, Karina pulled herself from her thoughts to watch him stop, a frown on his face. For a moment, he watched the parchment, entranced by what was on it, as Karina watched him, entranced by his features. Neither of them saw the book fly through the Great Hall doors, heading straight for the back of Remus' head. Not until- WHUMP!

With a shout of surprise, Remus fell forward, hitting the ground with a hard thud, his books and other items spilling from his bag. As soon as she caught the book sailing towards her, Karina was up and by Remus' side, apologizing profusely.

"Oh my gosh! I am _so_ sorry!" she cried, her humiliation making her clumsy and she dropped her book as she bent to help him.

"It's fine, really," Remus was saying as he slipped his books into his bag. Blushing furiously, Karina reached for her book, her hand colliding with his own. At the touch, Remus looked up, surprised by how sickly the girl looked. _She looks a lot like… me at the full moons… whoa…_ Her dark brown eyes looked at anything but him as she snatched up her book, avoiding contact with him at all costs. When she finally did look up at him, her blush deepened further and she whispered, "Sorry," before jumping up and running as hard and as fast she could away from there.

Stunned, Remus watched her go, his hand hovering over the last book. That girl… it was almost as if she was… connected to him somehow… As stupid and cliché as that may sound. And she had been pretty, too…

"Oi, mate! You okay?" The sudden shout startled him from his thoughts and he turned around to see his friends approaching him.

"Yeah… Do you know who that girl is?" Remus asked, standing and making his way to the center of the Gryffindor table, the marauder's favorite seat.

"Um… I think I've seen her before, but I don't know her name," Sirius said, piling his plate high with food. "So, guess who said yes to a date this fine Hogsmeade weekend?" Knowing full well who, Remus rolled his eyes and then pretended to think really think hard about the question.

"Uh… let me think…"

"Lindsey?" James asked, getting in on the joke.

"Hannah?" Remus asked, scrunching up his face further when Sirius frowned and shook his head to both suggestions.

"Eleanor?"

"Kitty?"

"Joan?"

"Penelope?"

"Priscilla?"

"Peeves?"

"Jo- What the heck?" Remus asked, looking at James as if he were crazy. Sheepishly, James shrugged.

"I thought we were sticking with _P_ names…"

"Peeves, though?"

"You're the one that jokes and says that Peeves would go out with me to Hogsmeade before Lily ever did!"

"Yeah, cuz that actually makes sense." Shaking his head, Remus looked at Sirius again who was staring across the hall at Kylee Rowwan who, in turn, was hugging Kyle Ryker to death. "Well, seeing as you're staring at her right now, and that the two most argumentative people in the whole school are hugging in a way, I'm guessing Kylee Rowwan said yes to the question."

"Yep… Ryker must be mad," James said, laughing at the thought.

"Looks like it," Remus said, pulling some food onto his plate. Suddenly, she threw Kyle away from her, her hair bouncing wildly as she looked around the room for something. Unable to find it, she spoke quickly to the girl sitting across from her and then they both jumped up, leaving a grumbling Kyle Ryker to walk to another group of friends he sat with when the girls were acting really weird or annoying.

"Wonder what's wrong?" Sirius asked, watching the girls slip out of the Great Hall.

"Don't know…"

some random hall in the castle

"Why am I such a loser?" Karina grumbled to herself, her face still like a tomato as she dwelled on the experience in the Great Hall. She'd made such a fool of herself. Why did she ever listen to Kyle? Why'd Remus have to be standing there? Why was she such a loser!?!

She'd been wandering the castle since she'd left the Great Hall, staying far out of people's way as she roamed the deserted corridors. She wanted to dig a whole and hide for the rest of her life. She wanted to never see Remus Lupin's face again!

"Why? Why me? Why am I such a spazy loser?" A spider scuttled across her path, soon becoming the recipient of her wrath. "I hate myself!"

"You don't hate yourself! That's emu!" a voice suddenly interrupted Karina's mind rant and she had to laugh. (_a/n: yes, me and my friend have had a conversation like this and I'd told her not to be stupid and so __emu__… she still hasn't let me live it down…_) Karina turned to look at her friend, forgetting her anger for a moment.

"Yes, so you like to tell me."

Laughing, Kylee walked to Karina's side, hugging her tightly, making Karina feel a bit awkward for a few seconds. "You don't hate yourself," she said with such surety that Karina had to shake her head.

"Yes, I do!"

"No, you don't!"

"Yes-huh!"

"We aren't having this conversation. We're gonna be late for class if we don't leave now." So, without further ado, Kylee linked her arm with Karina's and they both set off for Divination.


	3. HOLY CRAP!

later that day in Charms class

Charms came around quickly that day and so here Karina was, walking into the classroom with Kyle beside her, Kylee and Kat talking about what Kylee was going to wear to the date this weekend. At the moment, Kat was extremely excited, talking just as fast as Kylee as she plotted the outfit, taking complete charge over the somewhat clueless Kylee Rowwan. Kyle looked like he'd bite off anyone's head if they so much as looked at him weirdly. Why? Because he'd just been forced to be Kylee's Care of Magical Creature's partner where she'd talked his head off about Sirius Black through the i_whole/i_ class.

They all sat in their normal grouping, Kat and Karina sitting in front with Kylee and Kyle behind them. Immediately, Kat turned around, talking about the cute hair style she thought would look good while Kyle put his head down on the desk, willing himself to die. Karina shook her head, finding no place for sympathy towards Kyle as she dug through her bag, looking for her charms book. It was his fault he was friends with three sixteen-year-old i_girls/i_.

She retrieved the book, setting it on the table and glancing at it vaguely once, set on turning to join the conversation the two chatter-boxes were having. But what she saw on the book stopped her. Looking at it again, her heart leapt.

"HOLY CRAP!!"

All eyes turned to Karina, surprised by the outburst as she was normally a very quiet person.

"What's your problem?" Kyle asked, turning her around in her seat, the surrounding people quickly going back to their conversations as they realized nothing was wrong.

"My charms book! It's not mine! It's Remus'!" she cried, angrily throwing the book in his face. "And with the way my luck is going, we'll probably need it today."

"Like we said earlier, you've got the book i_memorized/i_! Just pretend to be reading Remus'," Kyle said bored-ly, rolling his eyes.

"Ugh! I'm such a loser!"

"I couldn't agree more…"

"Shut up, Kyle! You're not a loser, Karina. Stop telling yourself that. Besides, this will give you an excuse to go talk to him again," Kylee said, shooting Kyle a sideways glare, her voice dropping as Flitwick began the lesson.

"Alright class! As we will be learning something new today, please take out your books and flip to page…" Karina gave them the look of "I-told-you-so" as everyone followed directions, turning to the appropriate page and chapter and beginning to read. Fortunately, her friends were right, she'd mastered the spell ages ago. Sighing and with nothing else to do, she flipped open Remus' book to the inside cover, stopping short when she saw the drawings inside it.

In extreme detail, Remus, or one of the marauders, had drawn a moonlit scene within the Forbidden Forest. Weaving through the trees stealthily, his eyes wild, was a large werewolf, its ridged back and crazed aura perfectly depicted. Yet, while that was amazingly accurate, the rest of the scene made no sense. The werewolf was weaving through the trees, yes, but it was surrounded by three animals. On the werewolf's right was a large black dog, its tongue lolling out of it's mouth and a grin seemingly in place. On the left, a great stag was gracefully cantering, a small, fat rat clinging to its antlers. The mixture was so odd and so… unable to happen…

But how could he draw something so absolutely amazing? Not to mention accurate. It looked as if he'd been face to face with one… or that he was one… Now more than ever Karina needed to know if he was a werewolf. If there was someone else at this school who actually understood what she went through each month… But it couldn't be possible… could it?

Suddenly, she was jerked out of her thoughts as Kat jabbed her in the ribs. Karina looked up, sending a death glare at her… If looks could kill… Kat just glared back, handing over a note before smiling sweetly.

i_Wow… Our Mr. Remus can draw as good as you, can't he?/i_

b**Much better actually. I could only dream of drawing like this. In fact, I'm somewhat jealous./b**

i_And somewhat __stupid__! Why do you always say you suck at everything?/i_

b**Cuz I do./b**

i_No you don't!/i_

b**Yes I u****do!/u/b**

i_My socks are purple./i_

Stifling a laugh, Karina rolled her eyes at her friend.

b**You're such a dork!/b**

i_That's why you love me! Admit it./i_

b**Whatever…/b**

The note ended there as Kylee managed to steal it and then Kyle stole it from her, folding it up and putting it into the back pocket of his pants just to spite the girls. This ensued a silent battle between Kylee, who didn't get to read it, and Kyle, who wasn't giving up the note any time soon. Karina and Kat just rolled their eyes in unison, Karina returning to her book examining.

On the next page was a very good picture of that large, black dog and Stag from the front, the mouse crawling over the title of the book. In the corner was a picture of something between a terrifying puppy and an adorable beast. It was the same werewolf as before only this time there had been some changes done, transforming it into a very scary, yet tame dog. Instead of bared, its teeth were only partially covered, it's tongue lolled out harmlessly. Its eyes were less wild, its head cocked sweetly. The werewolf seemed to be sitting on its haunches, its tail wagging wildly in the background. The picture looked almost real.

The rest of the book was made up of random doodles. One was a picture of Sirius Black, another of James Potter, and another was of Peter Pettigrew. There were several hangman games with the funniest phrases. One such game had a weirdly drawn stick figure and underneath it were the words, i_Sirius Black is the hottest man on this entire planet!/i_ Another said, i_Sirius Black is a completely stupid git/i_, and the stick figure just happened to look a lot like Sirius Black.

A random page looked to be attacked by Sirius Black himself as it was complete with i_many/i_ random words and tic-tac-toe games, along with several corners dedicated to Kylee's initials.

Then, there was the section of pages 100- 155 that contained a comic strip per page of the characters dubbed "mini-uses!" The characters were comically drawn: 4 short boys wandering the halls of Hogwarts. Each was named: Prongs, Padfoot, Wormtail, and Moony. Some of the strips were so funny, Karina almost laughed out loud. It was obvious these were the marauders as their antics were what the boys would do if they had ultimate power over Hogwarts.

By the time class was over and everyone was on their way to lunch, Karina felt bit better and even had a bit of their conversation planned out, along with the moment when she'd pop the question, "Are you a werewolf?" She had to know! She just had to! It was driving her nuts… and shouldn't werewolves stick together?

The friends entered, (Kylee still bothering Kyle about the note that she really wanted to read and threatening that she'd reach into his back pocket if she had to) and Karina looked down the Gryffindor table to where the marauders always sat. She froze, her eyes falling on Remus as he threw grapes at Sirius, Sirius trying to catch them with his mouth and failing miserably.

"I can't do this!" she squeaked, practically bolting for the Ravenclaw table. When she sat down, Kylee glared at her, but chose to say nothing for some odd reason. For a moment, Karina was silent, then she looked miserably up at Kylee.

"Should I eat?" she asked, making her friends roll their eyes. "What if I eat a ham sandwich and mayo gets all over my face and he looks up and sees that I have a mayo mustache and then he'll never talk to me because I disgust him!?"

"You're starting to disgust me," Kyle grumbled as Kat turned to Karina, saying, "Pass the mayo." Karina did so, not noticing Kylee as she collapsed against the table, laughing so hard her face was beginning to turn red.

"Maybe I should get up and just get it over with." She began to get up, stopping as she got halfway out of her seat and then quickly dropping back down again. "No! I can't! Kylee, look to see if he's still over there! Oh no! What if he sees me? He'll think I'm a complete, spazy, loser! Wait! I'll hide-!"

"Where?" Kyle asked scornfully.

"Behind you!" Karina cried, seizing him by the shoulders and pulling him halfway in front of her, hiding her face behind his back. "Alright, Kylee, now look. Just do it casually. Stand up if you have to. Just don't let him see us. No wait! Just do this!" Karina pushed Kyle slightly out of the way, demonstrating the head flick motion she wanted Kylee to do and vaguely looking like she was having a seizure. "Just do this!

"Wait! What if I want him to see me? That would mean I'd have to talk to him! Yeah! Kat! Get a piece of bread and just throw it at him! Just throw it-!"

But Kylee had had i_enough/i_. Without even a word of warning, she jumped to her feet, an annoyed expression on her face. As Karina watched, still halfway behind Kyle, Kylee stalked off, heading straight for the marauders. "What's she doing!?" a distressed Karina asked, her grip on Kyle tightening.

"Ah! Get off me!" he cried, struggling to get away. Releasing him, she watched Kylee talk to Sirius for a few seconds before turning to Remus. "Crap." Kylee pointed over her shoulder in the group's general direction, and Remus' gaze followed her finger to look directly at Karina, recognition triggering in his eyes. "Oh crap." He motioned for Karina to join him, Kylee smiling encouragingly from where she was beside Sirius. Karina froze. "Oh crap, oh crap, oh i_crap/i_!!" Kyle's hands gripped her shoulders and pushed her up into a standing position, his feet immediately taking the place where her butt had once been, forcing her to go. With a cheer, Kat followed, speaking "gibberish-ly" about something along the lines of, "Where're going to sit with the marauders!" But Karina was walking too slow. Impatient with Miss Freak-Out, Kat skipped ahead, finding the pace far to slow for her liking. In fact, Karina was walking so slow, Remus decided to meet her halfway.

"Kylie said you wanted to talk to me?" he asked, smiling down at her while she fidgeted and looked anywhere i_but/i_ him.

"Uh… um… uh- yeah, so…. When we- this morning…. Uh… well, I picked up your book and you must have picked up mine- well, I hope you picked up mine… cuz if you didn't then I don't know where mine is- but that doesn't matter! So here's your book and I really like your drawings, though sorry I looked at your drawings! I didn't mean to! I had to pretend I was reading i_something/i_! And all I had was your book. I'm sorry I looked at your drawings. I'm sorry I'm so nosy. Anyway… uh… I saw a lot of werewolves. I like werewolves. But I know that's weird. Most people don't like werewolves do they? But I like werewolve-"

"Thank you! Um… I have your book up in my dorm. You can come and get it later tonight. Kat knows the password, right?"

"Yeah… alright." They stood there awkwardly, Karina looking at anything but Remus while he did the same, his glance occasionally landing on Karina as he thought of something to say. When nothing came to mind he just sighed, getting her attention.

"Yeah… so, I'm just gonna go over there… back to my seat…"

"Yeah, okay!" There was another pause. He looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't voice it.

"I'm just gonna go," he said when Karina made no move to leave.

"Yeah, okay!" Remus left, glancing occasionally over his shoulder at her as he went. Karina, on the other hand, stayed where she was, gazing up at the sky in a somewhat dazed kind of way. And she stayed like that until Kylee passed with a smile, saying, "You're drooling and people are staring."

"He talked to me…" Seemingly content, Karina followed Kylee back to Ravenclaw table, not speaking until they were seated. Yet, once they were sitting, Karina suddenly frowned.

"Oh my gosh…" she muttered, turning pale. Kylee looked up, suddenly wary while Kyle stood, leaving the Great Hall without another word. "I acted like a loser!! He's never going to speak to me again! OK, well, he'll have to speak to me again cuz he's giving me back my book… but then he'll never speak to me again cuz I can't hold a conversation and he'll think I'm a pathetic loser! I-!" But Kat had had enough. Turning in her seat, she slapped Karina hard across the face, stopping her ramble.

"Karina! Shut up! You're just going to get your book back," she said aggrivatedly, standing and motioning Kylee and Karina to follow. "Come on our we'll be late for DADA."

"Yeah, come on, Karina," Kylee sighed, jumping up as well. Slowly, Karina got to her feet, looking somewhat dazed. Then, she looked straight at Kat. "i_Owwww…/i_"

"You deserved it," Kat simply replied before laughing and leading the way out of the Great Hall.

**A/N: Hope ya'll like. There should be only a few more chappies left after this one. Anything from two to three...**

So thanks to all who reviewed, it's very much appreciated by myself and my friend... Especially the good responses. Thanks!

This chappie's dedicated to you, Karina! cheers )

TTFN - ta ta for now! Xp


	4. Ow! Karina! That Was My Nose!

**Disclaimer:** Hogwarts ain't mine... If it were, I'd be on a totally better site than this. I'm Just Kidding! Ah! Love this site... heh heh... sweatdrop Karina and Kat and Kylee and Kyle are my characters tho'... along with that really weird and random password... hmm...

**A/N:** Yesh... I think I disappointed a lot of people with my first chapter to 24 Hour Debt... but it _is_ my story... and it's cuter with Meissa (the clueless wonder) winning...

Sorry, don't know why I say this here... Advertising? heh heh...- So enjoy. Sorry for the long wait... sweatdrops

Later that night

"I can't do this!" Sighing exasperatedly, Kat tightened her grip on Karina's hand and forearm, pulling Karina towards the picture of the Fat Lady as Kylee pushed from behind. "I can't do this! i_I - can't - do – this/i_!!"

"Oh, shut up, Karina! Yes, you can! You're just going to get your book!" Kylee groaned, latching onto Karina's other arm when she tried to twist away and run in the opposite direction.

"Exactly! What if he sees what a spazy loser I am!? I can't do this!"

"Iggle-hay iggle-pay iggle-gay uck-pay."

"What?" Karina paused, looking at Kat as if she were crazy. The pause was all they needed. With an all mighty heave, Kylee and Kat pulled Karina into Gryffindor Common Room, the three girl tripping on the way in and landing sprawled out on their stomachs.

"We're in!" Kylee cried triumphantly, jumping exuberantly to her feet, her arms outstretched.

"And looking amazing, too!" Sirius called back across the common room, making Kylee blush bright red as everyone looked up to see what was going on.

"Don't make me feel uncomfortable!" she yelled, running to the couch he was sitting on and jumping towards the empty seat beside him. But while she was in mid-air, he moved over, Kylee landing easily on top of him.

"I can if I want to." The flirting was playing out well. Even Kat's eyes were on the pair, everyone laughing as Sirius proceeded to annoy and harass Kylee playfully. That means… she could escape! Her eyes still warily trained on Kat, she began sidling towards the entrance.

Unfortunately, Remus took that exact moment to come down the dormitory stairs, a book in his hand. For a moment, his gaze lingered on the couple claiming most people's attention. Then he looked back up and saw Karina. His smile widened and he waved.

"Hey!" he called, jumping off the last step and walking towards her. "I got your-" he glanced down at the book and suddenly stopped. "No, wait. That's not your book. Wait right there. I'll be right back!" He turned around, running back up the stairs and leaving Karina to feel like a total idiot, though no one was even paying attention to her.

i_Ah! What should I do? He's seen me! I can't escape now! Argh! I feel like an idiot. He needs to hurry. What'll I say? This is gonna be just as embarrassing as last time! Then he'll think I'm an even bigger loser and won't even want to talk to me again! Wait!! Kylee and Kat __are__ here. He can give my book to Kylee! I don't have to stay! I can escape!/i_

Yet, as this thought occurred to her, Remus appeared, yet again, at the base of the guys' steps, his eyes immediately on Karina. "Sorry, I was reading a new book on Animagi and forgot to switch them out. Here you go." Karina took the book with only a nod, her eyes focused on his knee caps. They were silent, the silence completely uncomfortable to Karina. Every once in a while, she'd glance up at his face only to see his eyes on her, making her blush a bright tomato red each time their eyes met.

Suddenly, he swore softly under his breath, surprising Karina completely. "Something wrong?" she asked, bewildered at his action.

"Uh…" he blushed, looking away from her. He'd obviously not meant for her to hear that.

"Well… I was just thinking… that… er… If it weren't for the fact that I have to visit my Aunt this weekend… er… I mean, I'd really like to get to know you a bit more…" Karina said nothing. Why was he telling her this? He was making no sense.

"Your Aunt's sick?" Kat suddenly asked, sliding easily into the painful conversation. Remus nodded, his eyebrows raising in question. Kat's smirk widened at the gesture. "Wow! That's a total coincidence! Seeing as i_Karina's Aunt/i_ is i_sick/i_ this i_weekend/i_ as well. It's almost like you two have the i_same u__Aunts/u/i_." They remained silent for a few minutes, just staring at Kat; Remus' expression thoughtful, Karina's terrified at Kat's odd way of talking all of a sudden. Suddenly, the room erupted into laughter at something Sirius did to bug Kylee, and at the same time, a light bulb seemed to click on over Remus' head.

"Thanks, Kat! You're a big help," he said, looking down at Karina and making her blush once again. "So, Karina, we need to talk. Do you wanna go somewhere?" Somewhere? Alone with Remus Lupin? Wouldn't the common room just fine. _Full_ of people.

Before Karina could reply, she was forced to the portrait hole by Kat, Remus right at her heels. After helping a stuttering Karina out the hole, he turned to Kat, thanking her brightly. Kat responded with a large grin and a nod. Then, the portrait closed, and they were alone in the hallway. Gulping, Karina looked up at Remus, her throat closing up and giving away her only chance to speak. He paused, as if thinking; then, almost like he was Kylee for a second, he smiled again and reached out for Karina's hand.

"Come on! I know a perfect-" A warm feeling shot up Karina's arm as he latched on, making both freeze in their tracks. He shrugged it off almost immediately however and began walking down the hall, Karina in tow. "A perfect place. It's called the Room of Requirement."

"Er… I've heard about that place… from Kyle. He says it's amazing," Karina finally managed to say, her voice quieter than usual.

"It is amazing! And impossible to describe. You'll see once we get there." Remus did not let go of her hand until they reached a blank stretch of wall along a deserted corridor, a picture of Barnabas the Barmy being trodden down by trolls in tutus on the opposite side. Vaguely, Karina felt the urge to laugh and took mental note that she needed to tell Kylee about the ingenious picture. Then, her attention was caught by Remus as he let go of her hand and began pacing the hall, his eyes closing in obvious concentration.

His third time past, he stopped and looked back with a triumphant smirk. Gasping, Karina stepped back. A door had appeared! Kyle had said nothing about this. He'd just said… well… that it was a really cool room. "After you," Remus said, opening the door for Karina and dramatically waving his hand towards the room. Tentatively, she entered.

The room was small, warm, and cozy. A fireplace rested against the wall, the glow from the fire within being the only means of light for the room. The carpet was thick and looked extremely soft, just beckoning bare feet. Two poofy armchairs sat in the center of the carpet, a table with two bowls on top between them.

"So, why are we here?" Karina asked as she looked around, completely clueless as to what was going on.

"To talk about our i_Aunts/i_," was his simple reply, leading the way to the two chairs, his hand immediately submerging in the bowl when he sat down. Karina froze, her normally pale face loosing every ounce of color it might have held.

i_Our Aunts!? We can't talk about them! Mine doesn't even exist! Oh no… what am I going to do?! He can't find out I'm a werewolf! He'll hate me!/i_ (b**A/N/b** of course Karina has forgotten that she thinks Remus is a werewolf! XD)

"Our Aunts?" Karina asked, sitting down warily and glancing at the table. The bowl Remus was digging into contained mounds and mounds of he world's finest chocolate. The bowl closest to her, was filled to the brim with Cadbury Eggs. Her hand twitched as she worked to contain her sudden excitement over seeing her favorite candy. Ignoring the chocolates, she glanced up at Remus to see him smiling down at her, a rather large hunk of chocolate in his hand.

"It's okay, the chocolate's not poisoned," he said with his mouth full. Seeing the look of momentary disgust cross her face, he swallowed quickly, before going on with what he was saying. "And yes, we're gonna talk about our Aunts."

Gulping, Karina cautiously reached for an egg, unwrapping it and taking a small bite. An unconscious smile flit across her face. "But why are we going to talk about them? I mean, what's the point? They're just old, stupid ladies. What does it ma-"

"Does your i_Aunt/i_ always get sick around the full moon?" Choking, Karina looked down at the ground, wishing Kat hadn't been there.

"May-maybe," she managed to sputter through her coughs. He gave her a concerned look, and then got up, pushing his chair around the table so he sat directly in front of her, extremely close.

"And does her 'illness' deal with ultimate hair growth? And fang sproutation?" he asked as he sat back down. Karina pulled her legs up into her chair, finding the close proximity really nerve-wracking. Then, quiet suddenly, it all hit her. Everything that Kat had hinted at made sense… and then she remembered her suspicions from before. Blushing a bright tomato red, she wondered if she could die of embarrassment.

"So- so, you're a werewolf, too?" she asked sheepishly, allowing her feet to fall back onto the ground. Remus grinned knowingly, popping a few M&Ms into his mouth.

"Took you long enough," he said, his grin widening when she ducked her head. Glaring at him, she took hold of a Cadbury Egg and started unwrapping it. "When were you bitten?"

"When I was five," she replied, nibbling on the top. "Greyback attacked my family, killing my Mom and sister. My Dad was still away at a Doctors' convention and so he's fine."

"You're Dad? Doctor Pepper?" (**A/N:** He learned of her last name from Kylee.)

"That's right."

"And you live with him?"

"Mmm-hmm," she murmured, finishing the Egg.

"I was six and Greyback bit me as well. But he didn't attack my family, thankfully. Do you miss your mom and sister?"

"Not really. I was only five and don't really remember them. Especially my sister. Sometimes, I dream of my mom… I remember she was really pretty… and had a really pretty voice…" They were quiet and Karina took another Egg, acting as if she were guilty of something, her movements jerky. Smirking, Remus leaned towards her, watching her unwrap the Egg with complete interest.

"Cadbury Eggs?"

"The only candy I'll eat," she said, tossing the wrapper onto the table and examining the chocolate with apparent love.

"Really?"

"They are the best." He laughed, shaking his head. Then, he grew serious once again.

"Let me have one!" he said, throwing out his hand and waving it in her face.

"No! You mock my Cadbury Eggs!" Kairna cried vehemently, smacking his hand away.

"Only laughed at them."

"Exactly!"

"That's not mocking them."

"Is too!"

"How old are you?" he asked, lunging in and stealing the Egg Karina had held throughout their argument.

"I'm three! Give that back! That's mine!" She sat up straighter in her seat, scowling as he tauntingly waved it in her face.

"There's a full bowl beside you."

"So? Give it back!" Dramatically, he took a large bite, barely leaving any left.

"_No!_" she cried dropping her arms and staring at him.

"_Yes!_" he cried, mimicking her voice. She watched him swallow the last bit.

"Punch you in the face!" she muttered darkly, glaring at him.

"I- wait. What?"

"i_Punch. You. In. The. u__Face./u/i_"

"Whatever. I dare you." He sat back, folding his arms across his chest and smirking.

"I will! Come on, let's go!" She brought up her fists, pretending to box an invisible person.

"You won't do it."

"Wanna bet?" She brought her fist back, letting loose with a punch that hit him square in the nose.

"ibu_**OW!/i/u/b**_"

**A/N:**Kukukuku… My friend's favorite phrase in the whole wide universe just happens to be "Punch you in the face!" Unfortunately, she's never really punched anyone in the face. Well… Not really. She's drawn herself punching a random person in the face… but I dunno if it counts of not.

Hope ya'll enjoy. This actually wasn't my favorite chapter to write… and it definitely took me an unnatural amount of time to finish typing it. Ah well. The last chapter is my favorite. Which is the next chapter. oO And here's a shocking story. This will be the first story I've ever in my life completed! Be proud!

Alright. R/R. And be prepared. As soon as this story is officially completed, I'll have another request from a friend to do, this one being Kat! Yay! Methinks I'm taking on too much…

And yes... that is a terrible joke involving the best drink in the world up there... It comes from our conversation on what would be the best last name to have in life... In fact, I think that's what started this whole story... Kinda pathetic when you think about it.

I think I'm done. Once again, hope ya'll liked this one, and the next chapter is so much better!

Bye-bye! -


	5. One Month Later

**Disclaimer:** Yesh… yesh… I'll totally admit that I've plotted to steal every ounce of Jo's work and plagiarize it all! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! That's why I'm on this fanfiction site… fer serious.

"I can't believe you broke my nose!" Remus teased as he and Karina sat in the shade of a tree beside the lake, their homework forgotten beside them. Ever since the night they'd revealed their werewolf selves, they'd gotten together by the lake to do homework and talk, causing the two to be really close friends. Of course, with summer on the way, distraction was imminent.

"It was an accident!" Karina cried, blushing a bright tomato red.

"Didn't feel like an accident…" he grumbled, gingerly touching his perfectly fine nose.

"I didn't mean to hit you i_that/i_ hard. Gah! Why do you keep bothering me about that?"

"Because you freak out," he replied with a smirk, tipping over backwards so he could look up at her, his hands behind his head. Rolling her eyes, Karina looked back at the lake, ignoring how close he was to her.

"Marauders…" she muttered angrily, making Remus laugh loudly.

"Yes, we are great aren't we?"

"Maybe… in a stupid, fluke-y way," Karina retorted, randomly picking up a scrap of parchment and beginning an idle sketch. Second later, however, she stopped, realizing the embellishing of little "RL's" inside hearts was not something she wanted him to find.

"I don't see why I hang out with you guys anyway," she said, trying to distract herself. Pausing, she glanced down at him to see his eyes trained on her. "I mean, aren't you three more into the wild type?"

"Not necessarily. I mean, Sirius and Kylee have been dating for about a month now, and I doubt she can be counted as wild. Just ditzy," Remus pointed out, using his hands to talk. She loved it when he did that. It was so adorable. Laughing, Karina looked back at the lake. They'd all agreed when Kylee was away once that she was too ditzy and clueless for her own good… But that's probably why Sirius loved her so much.

"James is in love with Lily. She's not wild at all…" Remus continued, trailing off into silence for a few seconds. Then, "I'm falling for you. You're not wild."

Her head snapped back, her eyes connecting with his. He grinned, going up on his elbows so that their faces were closer. Unable to move, Karina just stared at him. She couldn't have heard him right. Not at all! He wouldn't say something like that to i_her/i_.

Noticing her expression, he shook his head. "In fact, I tend to like the quieter types. They're much more interesting." He moved closer, one of his hands going up to her neck and guiding her face to his. What was happening? What was he doing? She hadn't heard right… Numbly, she bent closer, her eyes closing. Then, softly, his lips brushed hers, kissing her sweetly. Karina's insides instantly melted.

Yet, before he could do more than brush his lips on hers, there was a crow, and something heavy landed on their legs with an, "Ooomph!" before rolling off. They broke apart quickly to see Sirius and James untangling at their feet; James' glasses askew and Sirius looking extremely triumphant.

"Ha!" he cried, jumping to his feet and pointing at the two whose faces seemed to be burning at the moment. "I _told_ you! Pay up, James!" He threw his open palm at James, who glared in exasperation.

"That doesn't count! They only kissed for two seconds!"

"That's because you pushed me!" People were starting to stare, wondering what those weirdo Marauders were up to this time, and Karina blush darkened as she realized Remus was still really close, his hand still cupping her neck. At the moment, she wanted to die, and for the Marauders to die along with her. Remus just laughed, however, his blush fading as he turned away from his friends and looked back up at Karina.

"He used all the lines I fed him, plus some! That totally counts!"

"Where were we?" Remus asked.

"Uh… uh! Um..! We! Er… uh!" she stuttered, not knowing what to say. What was she supposed to do? Ignoring her random sounds, Remus pulled her close, kissing her again. Smiling unconsciously, she allowed herself to lie down beside him, tentatively returning the kiss.

"What does any of it matter when they didn't even kiss for _that_ long!?"

"You still owe me six Galleons."

"I-!"

"Hey look. They you go. Now you owe me six Galleons."

"I-uh… Crap… You're right. I dislike you Moony and Moony… er… ette? Mooniette!"

"Ha ha! Mrs. Moony… They aren't listening."

"No… I'm starting to get sick. Where's Lily? I wanna yell with Lily."

"And I want Kylee. Where's Kylee?" The argument ended, Sirius and James left in their separate ways, six Galleons forgotten, Remus and Karina left happily kissing in the shade of their tree.

Wait for it… wait for it… ready? FIN! And it all goes off in a flash of lights and sparkles, Tinkerbelle floating around there somewhere.

**A/N:** Yesh. For once in my short life of 16 years, I have finished a story and have actually been somewhat proud of my accomplishment. I hope ya'll liked the overflowing of fluff and nothingness… and be prepared. While Karina may seem emo an such… she is no match for the angsty character of my second friend request Kat. It should be up soon. I plan on finishing chapter 8 of Cera's story before I start on Kat's but we'll see. Thank you to all who review this story! I weep from me happiness! TTTT see… it would be a happy face if they did sideways paragraphy things…

K, officially weirded myself out. I am done. -/ Arigato! Thank you! Danke shurn! Merci Beaucoup! -/


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